What should I look for in a Bookkeeper?
Ahhh—so somehow you need to deal with the bookkeeping side of your business . . .

Who has the time for that when you're working to make your business successful? Keeping up with "the financial books" is rarely the area that business owners have time for, patience for, the staff for, or space to manage. And who wants to do all that boring recording-keeping stuff?

One of the first things you might consider is hiring a bookkeeper to take care of this
area for you. You could hire a friend, relative or "friend of a friend" who isn't trained or experienced in bookkeeping, but that could lead to troubled waters.

Your goal should be to find someone who is experienced—someone who knows his or her stuff. Look for bookkeepers who are quick and available to you when you need them, someone who can be a financial resource to you, so you don't have to worry about all the receipts and data entering—the basic small business accounting and record-keeping details.

Below, we have compiled a list of what to look for when hiring a great bookkeeper.

4 Tips to Hiring a Great Bookkeeper

1. Bookkeeping Knowledge
An experienced bookkeeper knows the accounting basics and keeps "the big picture" in mind. He or she is experienced in seeing where your objectives are and where you're trying to end up—a successful business owner! Also, a bookkeeper is different from an accountant. An accountant will do more analysis work, with detailed and specialized functions that you might need later. But for day-to-day financial operations, most business owners should have a qualified bookkeeper who has the general knowledge of basic business accounting—assets, liabilities, equity, income, cost of goods sold, inventory accounting, and expense accounts.

2. Readily Available
A bookkeeper needs to be readily available to you and be dependable in maintaining and keeping your financial books up-to-date. Your business information needs to be accurately entered on a consistent basis. And you need to be able to view your bookkeeping reports in a timely fashion. At Checked and Balanced Bookkeeping, our clients can view their financial business reports on a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week basis,by accessing their accounts via an encrypted and secure database system from anywhere there is Internet connection.

3. Financial Accountability
The best bookkeepers will keep you accountable. If they have questions about checks, deposits, receipts, etc., they should hold you accountable for getting the information they need for keeping the books accurate and up-to-date. A bookkeeper should know the right bookkeeping codes for all your different expenditures. You wouldn't want everything coded as "miscellaneous!" At Checked and Balanced Bookkeeping, we work with you from the beginning. In our first consultation with you, we'll ask the appropriate questions needed about your business. Then, we'll develop the right system for you to itemize expenses and customize your books specifically for your business needs.

4. Bookkeeping Competency
A bookkeeper should make available to you all your financial records, using the
most up-to-date computerized system available that is technologically accessible
whenever you need to view your business information.

Today, most experienced bookkeepers should be competent in using a computerized bookkeeping software program, such as QuickBooks®. An experienced bookkeeper should offer a full-service financial package, which might include business budgeting, estimating, invoicing, job costing, bookkeeping, and all the reporting requirements into one system. And as an extra bonus, if a bookkeeper can train you or your staff to handle just some of the easier tasks, this might allow you the ability to contribute as needed.

At Checked and Balanced Bookkeeping, we provide various financial packages
suitable for most types of business owners at affordable and competitive rates. We provide personalized on-site QuickBooks® training and setup. If you're looking for a
full-service bookkeeper, Angie does it all, and if you just want specific functions taken care of, she can accommodate you in those areas as well.